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Jeff Meade

How to Be Irish in Philly This Week

Sure, it’s cold. Hey, it’s January. But that’s no excuse not to get out and get Irish.

Here’s how to get your week started on a roll.

The Notre Dame Ladies Football Club is sponsoring a bowling night Saturday, starting at 5 p.m. at MacDade Bowl, 2105 MacDade Boulevard in Holmes, Delaware County. Admission fee is $20 per person and, just in case you don’t have bowling shoes, bowling shoe rental is included. It’s BYOB, and there will be raffles.

On a more serious note, on Sunday, the Derry Society of Philadelphia hosts a Bloody Sunday commemorative Mass at the Philadelphia Irish Center/Commodore John Barry Arts & Cultural Center. The Mass commemorates the 47^thanniversary of Bloody Sunday, and begins at 3 p.m. The Irish Center is at 6815 Emlen Street in the city’s Mount Airy neighborhood. (Right across from the Carpenter SEPTA station.) Refreshments to follow in the Fireside Room.

January 25, 2019 by Jeff Meade

News

Foróige: Raising the Next Generation of Leaders

Every Tuesday night at 7 p.m., a group of teenagers, 12 to 18 years old, meet at the Irish Immigration Center of Greater Philadelphia office in Upper Darby. There’s fun, of course—they’re teenagers—but they also have a serious mission: carving out a better future for themselves and for their community.

It’s the Foróige Youth Group, a local chapter of Ireland’s biggest and most successful youth development leadership program.

The Immigration Center chapter of Foróige (pronounced fo-ROY-guh) has about 30 members. It’s the first in the United States.

January 25, 2019 by Jeff Meade

How to Be Irish in Philly

How to Be Irish in Philly This Week

There’s a lot of music on tap for this week, along with a fund-raiser and what promises to be one fun bowling night.

First off, for those of you who make last-minute plans, two opportunities for music tonight.

At Dubliner on the Delaware, 34 North Main Street in New Hope, catch the always entertaining Gerry Timlin’s show, starting at 7:30.

Also tonight … Jamison Celtic Rock at Ancient Order of Hibernians Division 39, 7229 Tulip Street in the Tacony neighborhood of Philadelphia. The show starts at 9 p.m. and runs through the wee hours. It’s open to the public, and there’s no cover.

January 18, 2019 by Jeff Meade

News

AOH/LAOH Keeps Coast Guard Members Afloat During Shutdown

About 43,000 Coast Guard service members and employees nationwide continue to work during the government shutdown, including about 200 at the Coast Guard station in South Philadelphia on Columbus Boulevard.

Members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians/Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians are banding together to provide the local Coast Guard members with the essentials they need to keep providing for themselves and their families until the shutdown ends.

January 18, 2019 by Jeff Meade

Food & Drink

Behind the Bar: Michael Higgins, Tir na nÓg Philadelphia

It’s not too surprising that Michael Higgins is a bartender at one of Philadelphia’s favorite Irish pubs.

“My family owned a pub in Galway for probably seven years,” he says, “and the first time I poured a pint of any kind was the night we opened. That’s how I was thrust into the pub world, and I’ve been doing it ever since.”

After the pub sold, he moved to the United States. He’s been at Tir na nÓg for 10 years.

We caught up with him recently and asked him a few questions about his life behind the bar.

January 14, 2019 by Jeff Meade

How to Be Irish in Philly

How to Be Irish in Philly This Week

A bit of a slow week, but what there is promises to help you keep your New Year’s resolution to be a better-informed Irish person.

Tonight, starting at 8, John Byrne and band members will perform at a new venue, the Living Room at 35 East, 35 East Lancaster Avenue in Ardmore.

Also tonight, Seamus Kelleher fans can catch him at O’Mare’s Irish Pub, 10253 Bustleton Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia. His show also starts at 8.

One quick note for those of you who were hoping to catch the Seamus Egan Project at the Michener Art Museum tonight in Doylestown … the show is sold out. Sorry about that.

January 11, 2019 by Jeff Meade

News

Could You Be the Biggest Loser?

One too many snickerdoodles this holiday season? Or has the weight just been coming on for a while?

Here’s an opportunity to shed those unwanted pounds and help out the Irish Immigration Center of Philadelphia at the same time.

It’s the center’s Biggest Loser challenge, set to begin Monday, January 14, from 6 to 7 p.m.

Anyone can join the challenge. All you need to do is set your mind to it—we admit, that part can be tough—and visit the center for a weekly private weigh-in. The three “losers” with the largest percent weight loss after eight weeks will win cash prizes. Entry fee is $50, which supports the Immigration Center.

January 4, 2019 by Jeff Meade

How to Be Irish in Philly

How to Be Irish in Philly This Week

After the Christmas holidays, you’d expect a lull in Irish-y activities. Guess again.

Start tonight at 6 by joining First Fridays with Round Tower at Hanrahan’s Irish Pub, 690 Burmont Road in Drexel Hill. It’s a nice long happy hour—it lasts ‘til 9—with a terrific band.

Meanwhile, at Philadelphia’s Irish Center (the Commodore John Barry Arts and Cultural Center), 6815 Emlen Street in Mount Airy, you can join the First Friday traditional Irish music session, starting at 8 p.m. If you play an Irish instrument, by all means drop in. (Learners and beginners welcome—the first hour is the “slow session.”) Even if you don’t know one end of a tin whistle from the other, it’s still a great opportunity to visit and listen in.

January 4, 2019 by Jeff Meade

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